Switch



Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSTAV O. WILMS, OFMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ALLEN-BRADLEYCOMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN swrrcn.Application led July 16, 1928. Serial No. 293,074.

This invention relates particularly to means for translating arelatively slow motion into a quick, positive movement. Many means havebeen utilized for accomplishing this result in thermostatically andsimilarly operated switches, all of which have been open to criticismand, therefore, the-present invention has as its primary object toprovide a device of this type in which an entirely novel principle isemployed and which is so constructed as to be positive in its operationat all times.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improveddevice of the character described embodying a movable magnet. y

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a device ofthe character described having a magnet pivotally mounted to be slowlyactuated, by a controlling means to attract an armature, and move itfrom one position to another whenever the magnet moves beyond apredetermined degree in either of its directions.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of adeviceof the character described having a circuit closure adapted to bequickly actuated rom one' position to its other upon dictation of aslowly moving mag net.

And a still further object of this invention resides in the provision ofmeans for readily adjusting the prime mover so as to regulate the timeat which the circuit closure is opened and closed.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come withinthe scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, i have illustrated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to thebest mode I have so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front plan view of the device embodying the invention,parts thereof being broken away and in section;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view through Figure 3 on the planeof the line 2--2;

Figure '3 is a transverse, sectional view through Figure l on the planeof the line 3- s Figure 4 is a transverse, sectional view through Figure2 on the plane of the line 4--4, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the principal parts of the deviceremoved from its housingB Referring now more particularly to theaccompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate like partsthroughout the several views, 5 designates a housing of any suitableconstruction, one side wall of which is apertured to receive a stem 7 ofan actuating member 8, which, in the present instance is `pressurecontrolled. lThe actuating member 8 is supported from a U shaped member9 secured to the adjacent side oi the housing 5 by screws l0 and isconnectable with any desired operating medium such as a source otpressure, the uctuation of which is intended to open and close anelectric circuit o a controlling device. As this invention is limited tothe switch structure and the means for transferring the relatively slowmotion produced by the pressure controlled actuating member 8 into aquick and positive movement, futher description of the pressurecontrolled mechanism is deemed unnecessary.`

I"Ehe stem 7 projects into the interior of the housing 5to be pivotallyconnected with a lever l1 at a medial point which is pivotally mountedat its upper end between the arms of a substantially U shaped mountingmember l2 secured by screws 13 to the wall of the housing, by a pivotstud 14. An capansile spring l5 at all times urges the tree end of thelever towards the housing Wallin opposition to the force imposed thereonby the pressure of member 8. One end of the spring engages the lever andthe other a cup 16 of an adjusting screw 17 wherebythe pressure exertedby the spring is readily adjusted, and cooperatin with the member 8 andproviding means or taking up all slack is a. second or auxiliary spring18 which is relatively lighter than the spring 15.

The spring 18 has one end seated in a cup carried by a 'stud 19 slidablypositioned in a supporting member 2O secured to the wall of the housingand extending therethrough to abut a laterally projected part of amember 21 carried by the lever 11. The other end of the spring isengaged with a cup 22, similar to the cup 16, and carried by anadjusting Screw 23 to regulate the tension of the spring. Thus it willbe. seen that the response of the lever 11 to pressure by the member 8is readily adjustable.

Movement of the lever is imparted to a substantially U shaped horseshoemagnet 24 which is pivotally mounted by a bracket member 25 secured tothe back o the housing by rivets 26, the ends of the magnet beingdisposed horizontally to form pole pieces. The bracket 25 is likewise Ushaped and has upper and lower arms 27 and 28, respectively, betweenwhich the magnet is mounted. A receptacle 29 of substantially box shapeis secured. to the magnet by a rivet 30 passing through its medialportion and through the back of the receptacle and has its ends providedwith recesses 33 within which mounting trunnions 31 and 32 are engagedto pivotally mount the magnet.

The trunnions are threaded in aligned apertures in the upper and lowerarms 27 and 28 of the bracket, the 'trunnion 32 being provided with alock nut 34 so that the distance between the points of the trunnions maybe readily adjusted.

The lower wall of the receptacle 28 has an extension 35 termed thereonwhich extends downwardly through an aperture 33 in the bracket lower arm28 and then laterally 'to be pivotaliy connected with one end of a link37, the other end ot which is connected with the' lever l1, as at 38, tomovably connect the magnet 24 with vthe lever and rock the same on itspivotal mounting.

The outer ends of the bracket arms 27 and 28 have their medialportionsprojected, as at 39 and'40,'respectively, to provide arcuate shoulders41 at each side of the projected medial portions, the arcs ot which arestruck from a common point with the axis of the trunnions 32 and 31 astheir center. rlhe projections 39 and 40 are in axial alignment and havethreaded apertures to receive a second set of trunnions 31 and 32,between which a member 42 stamped from a blank of bend* able metal andforming a pair of connected armatures is pivotally mounted to be rockedfrom one position to its other upon' dictation ot the magnet. T hemember 42 while in the blank is formed with a medial portion 43 'fromwhich three pairs of arms extend in opposite directions and after beingcompletely formed, as best illustrated in Figure 5, the

central pair of arms 44 extend upwardly and downwardly to be directedlaterally, as at 45, to provide the means with which the trunnions 31and 32 engage to pivotally mount the member 42.

The outer pairs of arms are directed inwardly as at 46, from the top andbottom of the adjacent part of the medial portion 43, and then laterallyto form otlset portions 47, which extend upwardly and downwardl toconstitute the pair of 'armatures wit which the magnet cooperates torock the member 42 on its pivots. The portions 47 further provide stopswhich abut the shoulders 41 to limit the movement of the member 42.ineither direction, the shoulders 41 being disposed slightly outwardly ofthe arcuate outer ends ol' the magnet 24 to at all times space thearmature or portions 47 of the member 42 from the magnet.

Extended inwardly from one side (the right with respect to Figures 1, 3and 5) of the medial portion 43, and positioned between the adjacentinwardly directed portions 46 is an arm 48 which has its inner endprojected laterally, as at 49, to mount an insulating block 50 on whicha switch member or circuit closure 51, formed of a flexible strip ofmetal is secured', contact points 52 being carried at the ends thereofto engage stationary contacts 53 carried by an insulating member 54. Themember 54 is secured by means of a screw 55 to an outwardly extendingarm 56 of a projection 57 formed on the bracket member 25, being sopositioned that its ixe'd contacts 53 are in line with the movablecontacts 52 to be bridged by the switch member 51 whenever the magnetassumes the position illustrated in Figure 3. The contacts 53 aresuitably carried by terminal member 58 secured to the insulating block54 by rivets 59 and have screws 60 threaded in lateral projectionsthereon t'o provide means for attaching leads thereto.

rlhe operation of the device is simple and positive, as the member 42,which constitutes the pair ot' armatures and controls the opening andclosing ot the circuit, remains in either oi its positions until themagnet is moved a suiiicient distance by the prime mover 8 to enable itsattraction to the then outward armature members 47 to over-balance theinertia and attraction of the magnet to the inward armature members 47to quick! ly move the member 42 to its opposite position. Chatteringorhesitating of the member 42 mid-way between its limits of movement neverexists as the magnet moves a considerable distance to the opposite sidebefore its atraction thereto becomes great enough to overcome theinertia of the parts Lace-49o and as its power of attraction rapidlyincreases-as the outward armature approaches it.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with t eaccompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe artfto which an invention of this character appertains, that Iprovide a novel and improved means for transforming a slow creepingmotion into a quick, ositive movement capable for making an Ybreaking anelectric circuit.

"W hat claim as m invention is l. A device of t` e character described,comprising a control element having means providing spaced armatures, amagnet, common means `for movably mounting the control element and themagnet with the magnet positioned to influence the armatures, and meansfor moving the magnet to attract one or the other armature toward it toproduce a corresponding motion on the part of the control element. y

2., A device of the character described,

' comprising a frame member, a control element movably mounted from saidframe member, a magnet movably mounted from said frame member, meanscarried by the control element and providing spaced rigidly connectedarmatures each of which is adapted to be attracted toward the magnet tomove the control element as the magnet is moved toward it, and means formoving the magneto 3. A device of the character described, comprising aframe member, a control ele ment, means pivotally mounting the controlelement from the frame member for move-z ment to and from apredetermined position, a magnet, means pivotally mounting the magnetfrom the frame member, armatures carried by the control element andadapted to be influenced b themagnet as the same is moved to cause t vecontrol element to move correspondingly, and means for moving themagnet. v

4. A device of the class described, comprising amounting frame, acontrol element pivotal-ly mounted from said frame for movement betweenpredetermined limits, v,a mags1 rnet, means pivotallymounting the magnetfrom said mounting frame, spaced arma vtures carried by the controlelement and adapted to be iniluenced bythe magnet as the same movesabout its pivotal mounting and whereby the control element is moved fromone limit of movement to the other in correspondence to the'movement ofthe magcontrol element to provide spaced armatures.

adapted to be attracted toward the magnet mounting'frame, a controlelement disposed between the arms on the mounting rame, means pivotallymounting the control element from said arms, means carried by thecontrol element providing spaced armatures adapted to be attractedtoward the ole pieceI of the magnet as the same is moved means or mo ingthe magnet to elect a corresponding movement on the part of the controlelement through the attraction o the magnet for one `or the otherarmature, and cooperating means carried by the control element and themount-1 ing frame lor limiting the movement of tbe control element.

'Z1 A device or the character described, comu prising a supporting frameleaving spaced arms, magnet disposed between the arms ofii the frame,:means pivotally mounting the magnet from said arms so that its polepiece may be swung transversely on the frame, a. member disposed betweenthe outer ends of the arms, means pivotally mounting said member fromsaid outer ends of the arms, spaced armatures carried by said member andadapted to be influenced by the magnet, means for limiting the movementof said member and defining two positions of rest, and means fior movingthe magnet, whereby the member carrying `the 'armatures is moved fromone position to another as the attraction of the magnet for one armatureoverbalanccs that or the other.,

8 A device of the character described, comprising a frame having spacedarms, a magnet disposed between said arms, means pivotally mounting themagnet from said arms to permit its pole piece to be swung transnversely of the frame, a control element disposed betvveenthe outer endsof the arms, means pivotally mounting the control element between thesaid arms, spaced armatures carried by the control element, saidarmatures being adapted to be influenced by the magnet to move thecontrol element as the magnet is moved Vand engaging the arms of saidrame to limit the movement of the control element and maintain thearmatures at all times spaced from the magnet pole piece, and means formoving the magnet.

9. In a deviceA or the character described, a permanent magnet, acontrol element having spaced armatures adapted tobe influenced by themagnet, common supporting means tor the magnet and the control element,means pivotally mounting the magnet and control element from said commonsupporting means ics whereby the magnet may be moved to swing its polepiece in an arc to substantially align the same with either of thearmatures and ywhereby the control element moves as the 5 attraction ofthe magnet pole piece for one, armature overcomes that for the otherarma,- ture, and means for movin the magnet.

In testimony whereof ave hereunto afxed my signature.

GUSTAV WLMS.

